The Tibetan Art of Positive Thinking
Skillful Thought for Successful Living

"This exercise is very simple, safe, and yet profound. Many great Tibetan Bon masters used this as their main meditation. Use it if you are unhappy or feel that you don't have the capacity for happiness. This exercise is closely connected to the meaning exercise, and it is often helpful to do both together. . . .

"Sit comfortably and close your eyes. Imagine a fast-flowing stream of light flowing into your heart, pure, brilliant, clear, and comfortable. As it touches your heart, you experience the first budding of happiness, which grows stronger and stronger within you. You understand that in everything you do, feel, and say in your daily life, happiness will be in you, inspiring and influencing your thoughts and deeds . . . .

"Sit down in a quiet place in a comfortable chair or in a meditation posture. Close your eyes. Listen. Listen with your ears to the sounds of your body, the sounds of your mind, and the sounds in the world around you. Regardless of the sounds and how they make you feel, give thanks for them. Regard them as friends. Listen without any preconceptions, until the sounds merge. Then listen for the thought energy of meaning. It comes as a high-pitched note, or as the sound of a swift-flowing stream. Immerse yourself in this sound. Give thanks for it. Open your eyes and feel the thought energy of meaning in the space around you. Allow it to filter into you. Absorb it. Feel it. Your awareness of the meaning of things has come to life."